Vehicle headlight and the like



MaI. 13, 1923. 1,448,439

H. GRUBB VEHICLE HEADLIGHT AND THE LIKE Filed Sept 11, 1919 hicleHeadlights and the Patented Mar. 13, 1923.

UNITED STATES PATENT'OIFFICE.

nownnn simian, or DUBLIN, IRELAND.

VEHICLE HEADLIGHT AND THE LIKE,

Application filed September i1, 1919. Serial no. 323,188,

To all whom it may (10mm; 4

Be it known that I, HOWARD GRUBB, a

subject of theKing of Great Britain and Ireland, residingat Dublin,Ireland, have invented Improvements in or Relating to Vefollowing is aspecification.

This invention relates to lamps, more particularly for use as headlightson motor cars.

back to all existing headlights, in spite of the variety of forms invogue and the 'improvements suggested from time to time,.is theobjectionable glare experienced on approach. l/Vhatever the defect ineach particular case may be attributed to, the general failure is due tothe inability to produce a sharp line of demarcation between darknessand light. That this must be so in any arrangement embodying areflector, or. alens condenser, intended to render the emerging rays oflight obtained from the source,

whether it be electricity or gas, approximately parallel, will beevident when it is remembered that the difficulties include sphericalaberration of lenses, imperfectionof mirrors and the fact that, thesource of light is never an actual point. 7

Now the object of the present invention is to provide a lamp in which asharp line of demarcation between darkness andlight is obtainable in asimple and effective manner and which is therefore particularly suitablefor use as a headlight on a motor car, but is also applicable for otheruses, as for example as a signal light, a harbour light, a navigatinglight, a leading light and so forth.

For this purpose, in a lamp according to the present invention, thereare used in conjunction with means for producing light, a singlecondensing system whereon rays of light from the source of light canfall and from which rays of light will proceed and adapted to produce aplurality of distinct converging beams of light proceedingsimultaneously in a forward direction, an

a plurality of objectives common to the single condensing system andeach placed in or near the plane of greatest condensation ofthe-respective converging beam of light with which it is. to deal and ofsuch focus that it will form an image, havinga sha contour, on a distantobject of the brilliantly.

illuminated part of the condenser system like, of which the I As isuniversally recognized, the

from whichits corresponding beam of light is derived the several imagesforming a region .of light of different lntensities at dif- 4 ferentparts thereof and having a sharp upper or outer edge.

.Lamps embodying the invention oan, be" I variously constructed; 7 Butin order that'the saidinvention may be better understood,examples willnow be described with reference to'the accompany which others will be111g drawings from readily ascertainable.

In the said drawings, Fig. 1 isa diagram of one arrangement, the opticalelements being shown in verticalsection. Fig. 2 is a horizontal sectionof part of Fi .1 the section being taken on the line A Fig.

3 is a diagram ofthe image resulting from,

the arrangement shown in Fig. 1-. Fig. 4 is a diagram of a modification.i

In the arrangement accordingto Figs. 1"

and 2, a single condensing system a, a a is employed, the portiona ofwhich adjacent to and constantly exposed to the source b, of light,comprises two flat surfaces 0 divergingtowards thesource of light from ahorizontal diametrical line d so that the two partsof the 1 portion aact after the ma'nner of prisms and split the direct rays of lightpassing through them direct from the source of light 6 into two distinctpencils of light which pass through the adjacent upper and lowerportions respectively of the plano feet ahead. Such image is indicatedat e in Fig. 3. The similar way, produces an inverted semi-circularimage fFcorresponding to the lower half of the condensing system; Thewhole arrangement is such that the images overbeams of light, each beamTwo' smaller of the, upper projected on the roadway, or a vehicle, atsay a distance of onehundred lower lens objective /,in a

front, of the lap, the overlapping portions shown asleft rectangulaigitoco c dewith the prismatic rear surfaces 0' referred to, two images would,faces in association with the be obtainable that could be completelysuperposed.

'In the modification shown in Fig. 4, in lieu of employing prismatic orinclined. surcondenser, the

lamp might be provided, if electric, with v two filaments b suita 1yspaced apart so as to obtain by the'aid of the condensing system a a twodistinct pencils of light each of whichhas its own lens objective 6 orf'toform thei'mage as already referred to.

hereinbefore indicated, lamps embodying'the invention can be variouslymodified. Thus, instead of using separate pieces a a of glass, a singlepiece of plane inclined faces 0 extending outward means vfor producing asource of and backward from a line (Z and a'conveX front surface, couldof course be used.

What I claim is 1- 1. A lamp as herein set f0rth,,comprising light, asingle condensing system arranged in'front of'the light producing meansand adapted to produce a plurality of. beams, of light proceedingsimultaneouslyin a forward di-v rection', means to converge each beamseparately,. and/a pluralitypf objectives each placed in or neartheplane of greatest condensation of the respective converging beam oflight with which it is to deal and made of such focus th-t it will forman vimage having a sharp contour on. a distant object of the brilliantlyilluminated part of the condenser system from which itscorrespondingfbeam of light is' derived, the

images being more orless superposed.

' inas paths of the In a'lamp as herein set forth, means for producing'asource of: light, a condensing system illuminatedby rays of light fromsaidsource of light and from which rays of light will proceed ina'forward converging directlon, means adapted to divide the rays into aplurality of beams of lightrays proceeding simultaneously in a forwarddirection and a plurality of objectives arranged v said beams and eachadapted to form an image having a sharp contour on a illuminated part ofthe condensing system from which its corresponding beam of light isderived, the several'images being more or less superposed and one. ofthem having a substantially straight edge.

for producing a source of glass having p distant obj ect of thebrilliantly in iaase 3,. In a lamp as herein set forth, means light, asingle condensing system arranged in front of the light producing meansand adapted to produce twobeams of light proceeding simultaneously in aforward direction, means to converge each beam separately; each beambeing of piano-convex shape in cross section, and two objectives each ofsuch focus and so arranged that it willform an image having a sharpcontour on a distant object of the brilliantly illuminated part of thecondensing system sponding beam of light is derivedetheimages being moreor less superposed a'ndeacho them being of plano-convex shape with theplane portion horizontal.

i. A lamp as herein set forth, comprising means for producing a sourceof lightfa condensing system arranged in front of the light producingmeans and'embodying outwardly and rearwardly inclined faces adapted tosplit or divide the light rays passing of greatest condensation of therespective converging beam of light with which'it is to deal and 'madeof such focus that it will form an image havinga Sharpcontour on adistant object of the brilliantly illuminated part of the condensercorresponding beam of light is derived, the images being more orlesssuperposed'. A lamp, comprising means for produce ing' a source oflight, 'a' condensing system from which rays; of light received fromsaid. source will be caused to converge in a for}- ward direction, meansadapted todivide the rays of light horizontally into a plurality ofsuperposed beams, the rays comprising each beam converging in a forwarddirection and optical j means whereby. the'sepae ratebeamsof light arecau'sed: to-produce 'one a distant object, a plural'tyof imageslof thebrilliantly illuminated parts of the condensing system from which saidbeams are derived, said images forming a region oflight: of differentintensities" at different parts thereof and having a sharp upper orouter; edge.

6. A; lamp, comprising means for producing a source of; light, aco'ndensingsystem adapted to collect rays of light from. said source oflight and cause them'to converge in a forward direction, means arrangedin the path of the rays proceeding rrom' said source and' havingtransversely arranged edges adapted to divide the rays of'light intobeams,- each having, as seen in (cross. sectionga contour embodyingasubstantially straight line, anda plu ality of] objectives arrangedin'the path of said beams and'of' such focus as to form on a distantobject a plurality of images having sharp contours of the brilliantlyilluminated parts of the condensing system from which said beams arederived, said images being more or less superposed so as to form regionsof light of different intensity adjacent to each other and the totalbeam of reflected light forming the said sharply contoured superposedimages having a substantially straight upper or outer edge.

7. A lamp, comprising means for producing a source of light, acondensing system through which rays of light from said source willpass, refractive devices arranged in the path of said rays and havingedges extending transversely across the path of said rays and adapted todivide the rays into superposed beams, and optical means in front ofsaid condensing tive means, adaptedto produce on a distant object,images of the brilliantly illuminated parts of the condensing systemfrom which said beams are derived, said images being more or lesssuperposed so as to produce 31d:- jacent regions of light of differentintensities, the total beam of reflected light forming the said sharplycontoured superposed images havingia substantially straight upper orouter edge.

8. A lamp, comprising means for producing a source of light, acondensing system through which rays of light from said tially straightedges system and refracsource can pass, prisms arranged in the path ofthe rays of light so as to divide said rays into superposed beams saidprisms having their thinner ends terminating in substanarrangedhorizontally towards the axis of and their thicker ends remote from saidaxis, and objectives arranged in the path of the said beams and'adaptedto produce on a distant object images of the brilliantly illuminatedparts of the condensing system from which said beams are derived, suchimages the condensing system being superposed to produce adjacentregions of light of different intensities, the

total beam of reflected light forming'the said sharply contouredsuperposed images having a substantially stralght upper or.

outer edge. I t

9. In a lamp as herein set forth, meansfor producing a-source, of light,a condensing system comprising a front double convex lens, a rearlano-convex lens and two prisms each having its rear plane surface arjranged at an acute angle to the axis of the condenser system, and twoobjectives arranged in front of the condenser system and or lesssuperpose' adapted to invert and more the two images of the illuminatedportions of the condensing system on a distant object.

Signed at Dublin,

of August, 1919.

HOWARD GRUBB.

Ireland, this 22nd day i

